I woke up in a capsule.
Not in the bed, not in the room. It is in the capsule.
The hum is quiet, like a refrigerator.
Ventilation breathes into the back of the head. The temperature is slightly below room temperature so that the brain does not overheat.
It smells like plastic and something like eucalyptus inside.
Connecting to the "Eidolon Online: Sphere of Amethyst" server.
My name is Leroy, I'm twenty. I'm not an esports player. Not a streamer. Not someone important.
I'm just an ordinary guy who bought a subscription to the most ambitious VRMMORPG of the decade — and I'm still not sure why.
Probably to escape from reality. Just like everyone else.
The loading screen. White fog, stars in the distance, soft music — like breathing.
"Create a character."
I hesitated.
I wanted to make someone like myself — that's what beginners do. Then he changed his mind.
I've always liked beastmen. Not for the sake of a fetish, it's just... if this is a different world, let it be a different one.
The result was a cat.
Tall, lithe, with black and gray fur and blue eyes. Something between a lynx and an artist's fantasy. I left the face neutral, not cartoony. Even a little harsh.
"Character name: Peak"
"Soul type: Explorer"
"Class: not selected"
I confirmed.
The download has started.
But something went wrong.
Instead of a cinematic scene, I was woken up by the rain. Not epic. Usual. Boring.
Drops were hitting my ears, as if I were really standing under the cold heavenly water.
I was sitting in the carriage. One. Outside the window there is a field and a wet road.
[Welcome to Eidolon Online.]
[Loading of the launch area is completed: "Ayret Province. The border line. The way of the caravans."]
Hmm. Didn't the players start in cities?
But... the interface worked. I could move my hands, see my HUD.
Everything was functioning.
Apparently, it's just a non-standard start. Maybe a rare route? Or a branch of the "Explorer"?
I looked out the window. A caravan of three wagons. Horses. NPCs in cloaks. None of the players were around.
I'm alone.
And for some reason, I felt a little uneasy.
The carriage swayed as the carriage pulled off the rocky road.
I could hear the horses' hooves crashing into the mud. I could hear breathing nearby, muffled and steady.
The NPC was sitting opposite. The hood hid his face, but I could see that he was watching me.
I tried to start a conversation.
—Is this... the way to Ireth?
He didn't answer. He just glanced sideways, either checking my reaction or waiting for something himself.
[You are in the area: The Caravan Route]
Hostility: low
Point of interest nearby: [Abandoned sign on the road]
The HUD was almost empty.
No quests, no notifications. The only scales were health, stamina, and equipment durability (which was at zero because I was wearing some kind of rough gray raincoat and unarmed).
The system did not prompt. And that, for the first time in my life, was pretty damn interesting.
The carriage stopped.
I looked out and saw a broken road sign against the background of the morning fog.
I can't make out the words. Only the symbol: a circle with a falling feather inside.
The NPC got up and left silently. I followed him.
[Event: "The Extinguished Path"]
Activation condition: Touch an ancient marker
Influence: unstable
What are these tags?
I stretched out my paw (in the game, paws, yes) to the sign.
As soon as the fingertips touched the tree bark, something inside the system clicked.
For a second—just one—everything was gone.
The fog froze. The sound became quieter. I felt a heaviness in my chest.
And the voice.
—You started your journey in the wrong place. But that's why you'll hear things that others don't notice.
—Come back when you hear the Shards calling. Not before. No later.
[Hidden lore recording activated.]
Echo of the First Route: recorded.
The NPC didn't even turn around. He just said:
—Did you hear him?
I nodded.
He chuckled:
—Then you're not just a wanderer anymore. You're marked.
I didn't know what that meant.
But since that moment... something has changed.
Not in the world, but in my interface.
There is a new item in the magazine:
Passive Effect: [Alien Path]
The player started moving along an unforeseen trajectory.
+5% chance of rare events
-15% to the efficiency of standard tasks
Access to the area [Ayret: Lower trails]
I didn't gain any experience or items.
But damn it, it felt more important than any start with a blade and armor.
As the journey continued, the fog began to clear, and the sun was faintly breaking through the clouds. The road along which the caravan was moving became more well—groomed, but also more deserted.
The NPC sitting opposite finally spoke.
— You chose the path of the "Researcher", right?
—Not that he chose...— I shrugged my shoulders. —It got out on its own.
— This rarely happens. The "Explorer" has no guides. Only possibilities. And traps.
He paused. I wanted to ask a question, but I felt like I shouldn't. Too much depended on... intuition. This game was strangely lively.
The caravan stopped at a fork in the road. The main road led towards Ayret, the city hub. But the NPC pointed to the left — to an inconspicuous path, overgrown, as if it hadn't been used for a long time.
— Is this the "lower trails"? — I asked.
— Yes. Usually, those who are below the fifth rank are not allowed there. But you have a... deviation.
That's what the system called my "Way of the Stranger." Deviation.
I stepped onto the path. The caravan set off without me.
The first thing I noticed was the silence.
There were no typical game noises: no birds, no background music, no system notifications. Only the wind, and the faint creaking of leaves underfoot.
The world was beginning to feel real, in a frightening way.
A new indicator has appeared on the HUD screen:
Environment: Subdued
Landmark: Missing
Field distortion was detected: minor
"Distortion" — this was the first mechanics not explained in the guides. I read everything I could before the release. But nothing about the fields.
Perhaps this was part of the "research" regime?
I was moving slowly. Dry branches crunched underfoot.
The terrain has changed — it has become cooler, the grass has disappeared, and stone slabs have appeared underground, as if it were an ancient road overgrown with time.
[Found object: "Stone Fractures"]
The remains of the imperial way, destroyed by the fall of the Loire.
Condition: Unstable.
Danger: Increased at nightfall.
I stopped.
The night?
The world didn't send me ahead, but it made it clear: there is time here, and it works against me if I stay at the wrong moment.
A notification appeared:
[Temporary event activated: "Silence of Fractures"]
Description: Survive until dawn or leave the zone.
Special condition: no light source should be lit.
...What?
I sat down behind a ruined boulder and waited.
It was getting dark. Quickly. Unnaturally fast.
And then I heard a voice. Not external.
An inner voice, hollow as a sleepy bell:
"They're wandering. The light is calling. Be quiet and breathe."
I froze. The HUD blinked, then disappeared. Completely.